Winter Break
by Doggy2tails
Summary: Kagome goes on a winter break with her best friend, Sango. Kagome expects nothing to ruin her perfect trip...she couldn't be further from the truth...
1. The Perfect Trip

Kagome's Age- 15 (Yes, just like the show…You people don't miss a thing do you?)

Sango's Age- 16

Inuyasha's Age- 17

Miroku's Age- 17

Kagome groaned as snowy specks clung to her face. Annoyance formed in the pit of her stomach, and she was overcome with the urge to get up and scream at the flock of birds sleeping peacefully on their nests.

So she did.

Laughing at the birds startled cries, or the complete stupidity of what she just did, she hopped out of bed and ran to the window.

The sweet smell of snow, children, and children being hit by snow nearly knocked her out. This was it! The big day!

Kagome sprang out of bed, ignoring her parents' groans of displeasure below at being woken up at the unearthly hour. Who cared? It was the first day of winter break! They'd forgive her…hopefully…

Without skipping a beat, she grabbed her bags.

Wincing at the strain it had on her poor, noodle arms, she tried her best to ignore it. Nothing was to ruin this day. Nothing. Not even her brother, Sota, who came shuffling down the hallway without saying a word and pointing to their clock that read 5:00 A.M.

Smiling in what she hoped was apologetic, not oozing with glee, she waited outside, for her best friend, Sango. She glanced at the clock. Darn it! Where was she? 'Surely she wasn't thinking about sleeping in?' she thought to herself, as if the idea was simply impossible.

Punching in her friend's phone number, she let out a frustrated growl when the annoyingly chipper answering machine told her news that she was not available to pick up, and to press 1 for blah, blah, blah….

Kagome called the same number around eight different times, until finally, an irritated voice picked up.

"Someone better be dying."

Kagome laughed nervously. Okay, so maybe her friend was planning on getting some shuteye…Oh, well. She'll brighten when she realizes it's winter break/ski trip day!

"Remember that winter break idea, and how we were going to go on that ski trip, and you said to call at five to pick me up?"

She could have sworn she heard a forehead-slapping noise in the background.

"Kagome, when I said to call at around five, I didn't mean **five in the MORNING**!" Sango's voice grew increasingly louder.

"Can you still pick me up? I'd offer, but my car is in the repair shop." Kagome hinted, completely ignoring Sango's yell.

Silence.

Kagome could tell the anger and annoyance had sizzled out, and when Sango's voice came back, she sounded almost weary.

"Fine, but don't blame me when we finally get there and you're too tired to do anything."

Kagome 'psst' at that, but a warm smile clouded her face, pleased that Sango had given in to the request.

"Make some breakfast. You woke me up, and if you make breakfast, I'll forgive you."

Kagome started, completely forgetting that Sota was still in the room with her. 'Slow, deep breaths Kags…' Whereas on a normal day she would have gotten irritated and stormed away at the prospect of obeying her bossy sibling, today was obviously not a normal day.

"Sure..." The words somehow found its way out through her clenched teeth.

Sota watched with a mixture of amazement and fear as the pancake batter was completely obliterated into a mass of sugar.

"Um…sis…you can slow down now…"

"Why? Is something the matter?" Kagome asked with a strained smile. Sota slowly inched back toward his room, completely creeped out by his sister's actions…all he said was that if he made breakfast, he'd forgive her…

He almost wished she'd get angry and storm out. If only she wasn't so moody!

By the time she was done, a great big slop of too-roughly-stirred pancakes was the result, each burnt. The smell clogged the kitchen, forcing her to back up.

Kagome sighed dejectedly, and then threw out the pancakes. She would simply have to get breakfast elsewhere.

"Kagome?" her mother's voice floated down the hallway.

"Yeah?"

"Never scream that loud dear, I think you woke up the dead," Kagome rolled her eyes, "and is today that winter break? I haven't packed a thing, not even your lunches…"

Before she had the chance to answer, the sound of the doorbell's singing interrupted her. 'Sango!'

"Don't worry-I'm fine I've got everything I need-see?" She nodded toward her suitcase.

"Okay, honey, don't forget to call me and let me know if you made it in safely."

"Will do, mom," Kagome gave her a swift hug, happy to finally be out on her own with a friend. Without further ado, she ripped the door open, nearly taking the hinges with it.

The two hugged each other, and Sango gave her mom a respectful handshake.

"Nice to see you, Mrs. Higurashi,"

"You too, Sango," Her mom returned. Now that the pleasantries were out of the way, Kagome grabbed Sango's hand, dragging her to the car.

"Thanks for picking me up Sango,"

"Yeah, well, turns out I would've been woken up anyway…those darned construction workers…"

Kagome nodded empathetically. As it turns out, Sango's family wants to turn their already enormous house into something even more great and luxurious- a bathhouse. Even though without it they still looked like millionaires. To this day she wasn't comfortable being in the presence of such successful people, when the only job she'd ever had was as a babysitter…

"Don't worry; just yell at them to get off your lawn and you'll be fine." Sango nodded in agreement as they headed toward the car.

Sango's car was a shiny shade of blue, small and simple. Kagome threw her luggage in the back, surprised to find out that her best friend could have so many luggages back there. With a finally kick, she managed to stick it in there…in which everything fell out…

"Ugh," was the only word to come out as she lifted the ten ton bags into the car.

Finally, they managed to start the car without it giving out at the strain of Kagome, Sango, and the luggage's weight.

The car slowly tooted by, never rising above thirty-three miles per hour. Kagome groaned loudly. They might as well walk to the airport on foot with the luggage chained to their backs…

"Come on baby, you can do this…" Sango cooed, cuddling the steering wheel.

Kagome made an impressive show of rolling her eyes. Sango noticed and turned around to glare at her. This, of course, did absolutely no good, since Sango was driving.

"Keep your eyes on the road."

Sango pealed her eyes off Kagome. "Yes, mother,"

By the time they made it to the airport, the car looked about ready to combust with the sheer weight. Slamming the door shut, they struggled to heave the luggage out.

"What did you pack? Dead bodies?"

Now it was Sango's turn to roll her eyes.

"Sorry, but winter clothes are heavy,"

This was something she could agree with. Even Kagome's own much smaller bag was heavy. That or she was out-of-shape. It was probably the latter.

The two girls shimmied through a large swarm of people, whose cell phones were pasted to their ears, until at last, arriving at a counter with a friendly-looking attendant.

After weighing the loads of baggage, and going through security (to which Kagome complained about too much of it), they boarded the airplane.

Unfortunately, the two best friends were separated. Kagome could've cried in frustration-the person she was arranged to sit with was snoring.

Kagome shot a panicked look to Sango that clearly read: 'I can't believe I got stuck with this guy!'

Sango returned the look with equal despair. Kagome noticed the guy looking her up and down and giggled at her friend's predicament. Could it be possible that her friend had it worse than she did?

Sango tried her best to glare holes through her best friend's brain, causing Kagome to laugh harder. The guy was now wriggling his eyes at Sango.

If possible, she laughed harder at the entertaining scene. Sango slowly turned around.

A slap resonated through the air, causing a few passengers to stare. Kagome clutched her sides, which were hurting her from lack of air and laughing. Sango's eyes were positively livid now, her face a fire truck red.

The laughter eventually subsided when the scene was over. Kagome rested her head on the plane window, becoming increasingly acute of the man next to her snoring. She tossed and turned, struggling to shake off the man's horrid snores and get some rest.

Kagome turned around and shot a fleeting glance to Sango, who smiled wickedly and mouthed the word 'karma'.

Kagome sighed, depressed; surely someone up there was determined to ruin her soon-to-be fabulous day.

Halfway through the trip, a kind flight attendant maneuvered through the aisles, asking sleepy travelers what kind of drink/food they wanted.

When it was finally Kagome's turn, she politely asked for a root beer and crackers. For some aggravating reason they eliminated all the peanuts, the only thing that made airplane flight enjoyable.

Kagome waited patiently for the flight attendant to return, all the while noticing how the man's snoring was even louder and more obnoxious than before.

Irritated beyond belief, when the flight attendant returned, she 'accidentally' poured a bit on the man's face, in the attempt to wake him up. Sadly it didn't work.

Disappointed, she glared at the man's bald head; as if by doing so the snoring man would wake up and apologize profusely for his obnoxious self.

She was immediately broke from her disappointment by a loud crackling noise, coming from the overhead speaker.

"Attention passengers, we will be landing abruptly. Please bend down and remain seated. Again, please bend down and remain seated."

The flight attendant disappeared. Kagome looked around- a few elderly couples slowly bent their heads down, a little girl unaware of what was happening started to cry, and the man next to her…well…snored.

Kagome clutched her stomach. It felt as if all the weight of her body had blown into her head. She half expected to look like a bobble head by the time they landed…

She snorted at the looks of fear and bewilderment of each passenger. Surely they weren't going _that _fast. 'I mean, everything looks the same…'

The airplane contraption let out a high-pitched squeal. Kagome watched, entranced by the machine's swirling. It was bizarre; she wanted to scream, but no words would come out, as her hands glued themselves onto the seat.

Everything happened in slow motion. A red light in the front blinked a steady red; pilots made frantic calls for help into a speaker; but most of all, a giant white blob materialized out of thin air…

Kagome laughed-a sharp, hysterical laugh. This was a dream. There was no way an average Joe like her was going to crash…yes, yes, she was dreaming…

The last thing she pictured was all the passengers as bobble heads, their little heads bobbling up and down to the rhythm of the world spinning…

The world was shrouded by a curtain of black.

Hope ya'll liked it! R&R and tell me if I should continue! Of course, all finish it regardless, but still…well…you get the point…

P.S. Special thanks to xxBrokenNightDollxx! Thanks for warning me about the error! I appreciate it and fixed the error.


	2. A New Type of Demon

Kagome sighed and rolled over, in the effort to make herself comfortable.

She was restless, churning this way in that inside…a warm blanket?

'No, surely this couldn't be right…' she pondered, teetering precariously between consciousness and sub consciousness.

"Grubbyfhskkkk…" She voiced incoherently. Not about to complain or question, she snuggled deep inside the warmth.

A deep chuckle vibrated thoroughly into her very being. Disturbed, she subconsciously wriggled away from the source that let out the unnerving chuckle.

"Yougonnadie, bobbleheadman…"

However, before she could muddle in her semi-thoughts any longer, millions of sharp needles pierced through her head, pain coursing through every nerve in her body.

Kagome moaned in agony, each needle screwing tightly into her brain. No matter how harshly she squeezed her eyes, the feeling refused to halt. Kagome seriously considered banging her head against the airplane window.

"C'mon. Wake up." It was that intimidating voice again. 'Great…the last thing I needed…'

For some unforeseen reason, she complied, prying her eyes open and willing them to adjust with the sudden darkness. Wasn't it lighter just a second ago…?

Wasn't she in the airplane a second ago?

Kagome blinked.

And blinked again.

A large figure lurked over her small figure. She tried to sit up and focus at the figure; however a sharp surge of pain prevented her from doing so.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I saw your head jammed in the window…" The man's voice trailed off. Seeing slightly clearer, she noticed that the guy looked youthful, and was _not_ bald, if not the exact opposite.

Meaning he wasn't the obnoxious guy from the airplane.

Kagome a wave of confusion splashed over her body, and she sat up despite the wave of protest coming from her head.

"You," She pointed an accusing finger to the white figure, "I'm not in the airplane anymore, am I?"

"Yes great wise one." He answered dryly. At least she was correct…

Then, somewhere in her muddled mind, it dawned on her what the man said.

"What do you mean 'I saw your head jammed in the window'?" She inquired, putting air quotes.

By now her eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness. She wondered fleetingly why the place just looked plain spooky…'Almost like a cavern!' she thought in awe, as shadow crawled over the rocky walls.

Kagome glanced toward the entrance; snow flurries fell to the ground, showing that it was freezing outside. Remembering that she was still waiting for a reply, she turned to face him.

"Well…I mean I saw your head jammed in the window." She slapped her forehead at the idiotic response, immediately regretting doing so, for the nails were suddenly pounded in with a hammer. True to his word, bandages were wrapped around her head, protecting the sensitive area. 'Okay…so maybe he's not _that _bad.'

"Anything else you'd like to say, or are we going to play twenty questions?" Or not.

"You never fail to be rude, do you?"

The guy gave a sinister smile, sending chills down her spine. "I never do fail to be 'rude'" he mocked air quotes, "to bossy and disrespectful little girls like you."

Kagome gave him a crabbed scoff, annoyed that she feared him to begin with.

Irked with his response, she decided not to give him the benefit of seeing her irritated face, so she pulled on a mask of nonchalance. She smiled evilly, a sudden idea coming to mind.

Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke.

Maybe this time she'd get some real answers!

"Grrr, would you stop it!"

"Not till you tell me everything I need to know," came her calm reply, "without lying." She added as an afterthought, finally putting her finger down.

Kagome heard him blow steam out his mouth, as if it took him every ounce of energy in his body not to answer sarcastically-which it most likely did.

"Fine," He obliged grudgingly. For the first time, he looked into her eyes. It almost hurt, his amber eyes so bright against the darkness. Wincing in pain, she looked away.

"Well I was heading back from-"he looked nervous, "well, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I saw this girl, you, hanging out the side of the airplane window,"

Kagome gasped at the raw image. Anger welled up in her chest at the straight bluntness. He was so awful!

"-so I told myself I'd be a hero for the day, and now here you are, safe."

Kagome raised a brow, knowing full well another larger part to his story missing. She silently noted to question him further later and find out the truth, as well as kill him for the blunt description, something she was too worn out to do currently.

"Well, it's my turn to be asking the questions now. Who are you? And what are you doing in the middle of nowhere for God's sake?" The man demanded.

"Well, first of all, I don't have any desire to be here; which you saw the plane crash, so that was a stupid question to begin with. Second of all, I am Kagome Higurashi."

"You answered in the wrong order," he pointed out. Kagome gasped mockingly.

"Me? Answer in the incorrect order? What a tragedy! Well, I guess I'll go freeze in the middle of nowhere, with me _hanging out the window_, since that's so much better." Sarcasm practically spilled from her tongue.

"Jeez, what crawled up your butt?"

Shaking her head, as if by doing so the anger would evaporate, she thought of a great question.

"Who might _you_ be? And what are you doing in the middle of nowhere?"

The guy fidgeted, toying with the hems of his outerwear. Kagome hadn't noticed it before, but his attire was completely outlandish: a full kimono of red, dating back to hundreds of years ago.

"Well, I am nobody, and as a nobody, it doesn't matter as to why I'm here."

Kagome stared blankly.

The man fidgeted nervously.

As if sensing his reply wasn't sufficient, he tried again. "Actually, I'm Inuyasha…and once again, why I'm here doesn't concern you, so you needn't worry."

'Great, more answers I'll have to decipher later…' thought Kagome, a frown creasing her face.

"Nice to meet you-"she extended her hand, plastering a smile on anyway, "I'm Kagome, and-"

Shock hit her like a whiplash, as the most important question of the hour presented itself. Ironically, the idea came just when she wasn't forming questions to inquire…

"**WHERE'S SANGO**!"

The man, Inuyasha, brought his hands up to his ears, wincing at the noise. Oddly, his hands were protecting…puppy ears…? Aw!

Her last thought before her feet decided to zip into the cold harsh wind to find her best friend was this:

'That Inuyasha's got a _lot _of explaining to do…'

Sango's eyes dared to flutter open, her arms crossed over her head. Thanks to her advanced reflexes, the impact of the plane landing barely affected her-except for her nerves.

Letting out a breath she didn't know she was holding she glanced to the side. The jerk she sat with was no longer there, but she could still feel the heat emitting off the chair, showing he couldn't have left to long ago.

Mentally psyching herself, she cast a peek at Kagome's seat.

There was no Kagome in sight.

'Surely they didn't form an alliance?' Sango thought sourly. But no, she knew her friend well enough to know that her friend didn't trust any strangers-the creepy one next to her in particular.

Thanks to her training, though, she had the knowledge that panicking did no good whatsoever. Sango grasped for her suitcase, muttering a soft 'ah-ha!' when she found it.

Stealthily slipping her arm into the suitcase, she quickly pulled out her weapon. The baggage was necessary for other purposes than clothing; it stored her most precious weapon of all- Hiraikotsu.

Through the years, nobody questioned as to why her family was rich; after all, the richer the more powerful right? But just in case, her family made a fake background folder that told that Sango's family was a family of successful lawyers. It was easy enough to believe.

In reality, however, her and her family did the entire crime stopping. Demons became more difficult to find over the years, making each catch of the day or slaughter more valuable. Because many demons found different and cleverer hiding places, almost all were on the 'Most Wanted' list.

Sometimes it pained her to keep of this image with her best friend Kagome.

She wanted to tell the truth, but the blood that coursed through her veins was that of a pure demon slayer, passed down from the very lineage, causing her to lie.

Shaking herself from her thoughts, she peered around.

Everyone around her seemed to be so absorbed in the shock of the crash, that nobody noticed the seventy pound ton of steel boomerang resting on her back.

Using this to her advantage, she half-walked half-sprinted passed the ghostly faces, determination propelling her forward. She was going to find Kagome, even if it meant death.

The ground was filled with snow.

Sango found this out immediately, as she was swamped with snow up to her knees. Shivering against the cold, she called out hoarsely to the chilling wind.

"KAGOME, WHERE ARE YOU? IT'S ME SANGO! KAGOME-"her voice became steadily louder, "KAGOME? **WHERE ARE** **YOU**?"

"I'm right here," a masculine voice answered.

She knew that voice.

Sango turned around so fast it gave her whiplash.

"What do you want?" Sango asked, giving the jerk from the airplane a leveled glare.

He shrugged innocently. "I dunno- a warm bed, cookies with milk, and you I suppose."

Sango narrowed her eyes into slits. "What do you mean 'me'?"

His innocence quickly morphed into pleading.

"Please Lady Sango-"

'How'd he know my name?'Sango thought, perturbed.

He rambled on, unaware of Sango's puzzled expression. "Take me with you! I won't be a burden!"

Sango sighed in frustration, in which 'the jerk' quickly translated as acceptance.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you! You're the most beautiful rose, your figure so perfect I could almost-"

"Fine, but if you slow me down, it's your head on the line."

'The jerk' nodded his head vigorously, that irritating smile refusing to waver. Sango watched wearily, expecting that head to tear right off. 'At least it'd give him less to look at…' She smiled at her own private joke.

"One more thing-" His eyes and head perked up, "-how'd you know my name?"

A look of unease flashed across his face, almost instantly replaced by confidence, causing Sango to wonder if it was there in the first place.

"Why would I _not_ know such a darling like you-"

She gave him a glare that easily read "cut the crap".

His eager smile was erased from his face.

"Well, Lady Sango,-"

"Don't call me that," Sango interrupted, "and just answer the question."

He quickly schooled his features. "Why of course. What is it that you wish to be called?"

"You're changing the subject."

"Yes, but surely, you wish to be-"

"Just call me Sango," Sango interrupted again. Her patience was running a thin, thin line…

"Great! Well, Sango, to answer your question, I saw your friend mouth the words Sango."

A blush slowly appeared on her face. 'Oh God! Did he see the whole scene?' she thought with dismay, all irritable thoughts flying out the window.

"Ah! Is that a blush I see? Is someone finally noticing me?" He teased, ever perceptive.

A tick popped in Sango's temple.

Stars twinkled before his eyes as he struggled to regain his senses.

'_What did I get myself into?'_ Sango puzzled, shaking her head sadly at the figure below that twitched every few seconds, thanks to her hiraikotsu.

She then answered her own question: a new type of demon.

You guys didn't think I'd forget about Sango? Well, I didn't. Thank you guys for reviewing!


	3. Close Call

AN: Does anyone have a clue as to how I can make the text smaller? I checked the pages last night and fell outta my chair…

Kagome romped through the snow. Thanks to her slow-as-molasses speed, she managed to get herself two feet outside.

Her feat did not go unnoticed, however.

"What are you doing? Stupid girl, you'll catch a cold and die!" Inuyasha yelled, making a big show of waving his arms in the air.

She ignored the death threat and shuffled right ahead, not turning around to answer. As long as she kept her eyes on finding Sango, she'd be alright.

"You'll die of rabies!" He tried again.

'Now he's just being ridiculous,' thought Kagome glumly.

"I don't care!" Kagome threw the words of her shoulder, and noticed with a hint of dissatisfaction that she only made five feet's worth of progress.

An audible sigh barely gained her attention. She did notice this, however- the weight of the snow against her legs was lifted, due to Inuyasha swiftly grabbing and hauling her right back into the creepy cavern.

A scream hardly escaped her lips as she was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor, with an indignant 'Oomph!'

"What do you think you're doing? You can't tell me where I can and cannot go, or lift me off when I'm somewhere you don't want me to be!" Kagome yelled indignantly.

"Is this 'Sango' a friend of yours?" Inuyasha questioned, the only sign that he registered a word she said at all was that he held his strange puppy ears in a death grip.

"Yes she's a friend! She's my best friend! _Now let me go!_" Kagome demanded.

A pained look flashed in his odd eyes, then slowly, determination.

"Keh,"

"Does this mean you'll let me go?" She translated, staring pleadingly into his eyes.

"No, but I can take you to see your stupid friend. Besides, if I didn't my ears would bleed to death…" He added gruffly.

"But-"

"Wait, I'm not done." He rested his sharp pointed finger on her lips. Kagome was more than eager to comply, considering one wrong move and her lip would be sliced.

"I just have to run a quick errand, and I'll be right back." He finished, taking the lethal weapon off her lips.

"Oh? What kind of errand would that be?" She asked with a suspicious undertone. 'This feels fishy…'

He paused for a good thirty seconds before answering. "Well, I'm going to go look for wood to make a fire so that we can both have dinner."

"Ah ha! You're lying! You paused before you said it, meaning you were lying!" She shouted triumphantly.

Inuyasha growled, but did not deny this.

For some reason unbeknownst to her, a nauseous feeling curled up inside the pit of her stomach. Feeling a bit light headed, she stood up, wishing the feeling away.

"Oh...darn..." She muttered weakly, the previous triumphant feeling slipping through her fingers like quicksand. Kagome smiled when standing up helped to ease the queasy feeling.

"Sit down." The demand surprised her causing her to oblige.

"Your bandages are ruined, because of you getting up and making all that commotion." he remarked curtly, watching with a kind of unreadable expression at the blood on her forehead.

"Ah," she managed intelligently, the thought of seeing her own blood trickling down her face causing the queasy feeling to resurface, therefore her hands shook.

And to think, she could be sitting comfortably in a nice resort, next to a simmering spring drinking hot coco… Kagome frowned; things never ended simply when it came to her life…

Removing the bandages, he swiftly replaced it with a torn piece of his own cloth. Kagome blinked; it was over so quickly, she could feel the cool draft from where he sat a moment ago.

"So, where are you going?" Kagome questioned half-heartedly, the almost-passing-out still clutching her firmly in a fit of chills. Suddenly, the answer didn't very well matter.

Finding Sango would have to be put on hold.

"It doesn't matter, _mom_. What matters is that you stay put. Got it?"

Kagome nodded fervently, ignoring the sarcasm, all thoughts of going out into the cold obliterated.

Despite this, he crouched down and tucked the blanket securely around her. In fact, he wrapped it too securely.

"If you're trying to slowly suffocate me, it won't work." Kagome threatened. Of course, the notion was silly since he wrapped up her head and gave her shelter, but still…

Inuyasha smirked, an evil grin spreading across his face like licking flames. "I could easily do that, girl, but I won't, so don't you worry." As an afterthought, he added, "I wouldn't try to leave if I were you; I wasn't kidding about rabies. Lots of wildlife roam about at night, and they just might-"

"Fine! Whatever! Just leave, got it?" The words had little effect since her face was a paper white.

Looking very much like a mouse how captured the cheese, he sauntered out, obviously pleased that he gave her a reason to stay put _and _didn't have to explain where he was going.

"Oh, and one more thing- don't scream like that again." Inuyasha pointed toward his ears. His odd, cute, ears…

Kagome didn't have time to answer, for Inuyasha was already gone- just like her sense of normalcy.

"What did I get myself into?" She asked the cold wind that whipped past the cavern without reaching her. An eerie silence was all the answered.

….

Inuyasha jumped heap through heap of snow, relishing the harsh winds whipping against his face, but most of all, the scent of that Kagome's sickeningly metallic and sweet blood washing away.

The thought of seeing that innocent girl's blood caused a twisted feeling to materialize in his stomach.

He dashed on anyways, both happy and disgusted with himself about where he was headed- Naraku's hideaway. Ironically, the 'hideaway', or mountain, was in plain sight, visible enough for even a normal human to see.

Heading up the stairs, passed the hideous stairs made out of pure mold, the place reeked of death and rotten corpse, nothing at all like the fresh stinging air outside.

He felt both happy and disgusted with himself, because the group agreed to allow him in; he, a filthy hanyou, a hanyou that nobody could accept but the group. He could still remember vividly how some either punched him, fled, or pointed a gun.

Yet he still wanted to beat himself to a pulp every time Naraku hurt a family and he allowed it to happen. It didn't matter though. Naraku's group easily outnumbered him, causing him to change his mind every time he thought of leaving.

"Did the airplane crash?" Naraku questioned his followers.

Inuyasha walked hesitantly inside. He could feel the ominous presence of the man just from the scent.

"Yes," Kouga, nearing his third year of fighting and serving, as well as wolf demon, answered sharply.

"Glad to see you made it, Inuyasha." A dangerous glint glazed over his eyes, but before he could evaluate the meaning closer, he shifted his gaze toward Kouga again.

"Good. It still took you five minutes and thirty-eight seconds longer than your other record, though."

"That, I am well aware of sir," Kouga answered stiffly. Inuyasha smirked, pleased that even though the wolf was faster than himself, he wouldn't be getting faster any time soon.

"Is the miko alive?"

Inuyasha was charged abruptly out of his thoughts as all attention swiftly turned on him. He winced; the thought of having another innocent death fall on his shoulders was quite disturbing.

"Yes," he answered quietly, the words barely making it.

"Good." for a rare moment, a look of embarrassment passed over his features, quickly masked by a solemn expression. "Well, uh, it will take a lot longer than I expected for me to conquer and consume the miko."

Inuyasha let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. The group, consisting of Kagura, the creepy witch lady with the fan; Kanna, the odd, quiet and subservient one; and Kouga, the reeking wolf, turned curious eyes onto their leader. All except himself.

"It seems as if my latest project added to my body won't cooperate, and is instead trying to poison me inside out." Naraku nodded toward the defeated octopus lying limply on the ground, which still, even after death, was fighting the new body. Inuyasha didn't blame it a bit.

The thought of he himself being added to the leader's awful body caused an unsuspecting shiver to rack through his body. Naraku's body consisted of all the insect demon's bodies, an ogre's body, a snake demon's body, and recently, an octopus's body.

According to Naraku these creatures made him stronger, but all in all, he looked more like a deformed mutant rat diagnosed with cancer. Perhaps it did make him stronger; all Inuyasha knew was that it just made Naraku more crazed for power every time.

"-till then," Naraku wrapped up. Inuyasha blinked, completely forgetting that he was still talking, "you may all have a break. Nothing can be done until this idiotic beast accepts my body."

All the occupants of the room were clearly disappointed that there was no evil doing to be done, thus proceeding to leave the god-awful mountain.

Inuyasha was the first one to go. Glad to leave, he hopped over dunes of snow. A sudden thought occurred to him: perhaps he should get some firewood, so at least that girl-Kagome, was it?-wouldn't be terribly upset that he lied. That last thing he needed was to go deaf.

Man, did that girl have a scream.

Shifting gears, he turned around and headed toward the nearest forest. He silently thanked his blessings; that was _definitely _a close call. Even though he nearly went deaf, the thought of making an innocent girl suffer was more than he could bear at the moment.

…

Escaping was quite simple. With a small nap, she regained her strength and squirmed her way passed the heavy blankets. She was still too hungry to venture off for Sango, but not so hungry that she couldn't tidy up a bit!

With a little effort on her part, the once creepy and eerie cavern now looked homely, the heavy blankets used as a make-shift bed/rug, and a fire blazing in the background.

Inuyasha, being the ever-so-intelligent person that he was, left a whole pile of logs near the end of the cavern. Convenient matches were located directly beside it, making a fire easy to start.

Kagome couldn't believe that he'd bother searching for logs when he had a whole pile in the back, which served to further prove that she was right about him lying. Opting not to think about Inuyasha and him lying, she peered about the room.

Smiling at her accomplishment, she sunk down onto the make-shift bed-rug. Even the small bit of cleaning made her bushed. Kagome frowned in thought.

'It must've been a pretty bad head injury,' thought Kagome sullenly, glancing up at the night sky filled with stars.

A large star in particular twinkled in agreement.

Kagome sighed sadly, remembering her bossy but sweet brother, and her loving mom. She didn't want to think of them huddled around the T.V., watching the news for further information about her.

Her stomach growled; oh great, she forgot to eat as well.

"I wish things will start looking up sooner." Kagome wished, closing her eyes. She missed her brother and mom, and longed to be in a warm and comfy suit with her best friend Sango.

Unbeknownst to her, the star brightened.

…

Thank goodness that chapter's over! It was sort of difficult to write, but next chapter things will start looking up, I promise! Also, sorry about how long it took to update…the computer sort of malfunctioned…


	4. The Forest

Worry lines marred young Sota's young face. His mother had been staring at the T.V. for two days straight, unblinking. The food Sota left his mother was left untouched, and so much as getting a response became difficult.

Of course, he was worried about his sister too, but not so much that he'd neglect living. Kagome would be fine, because she was strong. The paramedics were there, helping out, and would soon bring Kagome home to safety…

At least this is what he hoped. He held onto the idea, because any other scenario would've crushed him with a sack of bricks.

Sota sighed resignedly, and sat down next to his mom. She continued to stare without even noticing his presence. Not that she would notice him…

All that was left to do was to sit and wait, because there wasn't a single thing they could do about it.

"You gonna eat that?"

…

Sango groaned, as her feet finally buckled from exhaustion. The jerk, Miroku, had fallen asleep many slaps later, giving Sango added luggage. Sadly, before he tired out (or grabbed her), he blabbed on constantly about his life as a monk.

She learned all kinds of things she didn't want to know: such as that he'd been traveling for five years, how he longed to find a partner (to which she slapped him), and how his father died.

In which a long awkward silence ensued. She pitied him, but what could she say to that?

Forcing herself to stand, she then heaved Miroku up with a grunt. He was no light package; the jerk probably ate donuts for a living, along with being a monk…another problem…

Disappointingly, there was no shelter in sight. Sango had been trained to find shelter from her family, but that training did not include surviving in cold, harsh tundra.

Her thin outerwear did little to protect her from the cold, and no wood to suffice for the night caused a tidal wave of stress to override her exhaustion.

Forcing her stiff bones to cooperate, she could sense the smell of pine cone give her comfort and strength.

Wait a minute-pine cone?

Gazing wildly around in a crazed fashion, obviously pleased that she wouldn't have to sleep in snow, Sango ran blindly toward the source of the pleasant odor. The pleasant smells turned instantly into towering trees, into an entire forest.

A forest meant food, wood, and shelter.

Her first thought was to dump the monk into a pile of snow. This action roused a grumpy groan, meaning Miroku woke up…how disappointing…

"Good morning sweet Sango…are we home yet?"

Sango blinked dubiously, whether at the nickname or the question, she wasn't sure…

"Look around, and you tell me."

"Oh…" were his words of wisdom. Sango rolled her eyes; some use he'd turned out to be…she should've rejected him and left him in the cold…

"_Riiiight…_Well, try to make yourself useful and go get some wood. I'll look for game, and strip some bark for shelter. If you need me, just whistle or something and we'll meet…right…here!" She motioned enthusiastically to a fallen tree.

Miroku saluted, and charged in a military fashion away. Sango frowned at how lightly he was taking the whole situation…he wasn't supposed to be so calm and composed after a serious accident…

Making a mental note to question him later, Sango listened tensely for any sound of movement.

Not so much as a 'ha ha I'm here hiding so you can catch me!' could be heard. Scowling at her luck, she wondered how Kagome was taking the whole thing…wherever she was…

'Please be okay, Kagome.' Sango prayed. Poor Kagome…she didn't have a clue about surviving and adapting to nature…

Shaking her head as if to rid herself of such thoughts, she refocused her attention onto her purpose: to find game.

Shuffling as quietly as possible, she nearly tripped when she heard a whistle coming from the south of her…oh god, where she left Miroku…Could he really be that helpless? And so quickly?

A sweat-drop plopped onto her brow. Heaven knows he was just going to ask for advice on how to tie his shoes. Annoyed, she ignored the whistle.

Sango peered around again, determined not to be interrupted. A blur of lipstick red popped out of the clear blue.

Sango rubbed her eyes and squinted; what kind of animal was lipstick red? Checking again, low and behold, the mysterious creature had vanished.

Frowning, Sango walked toward the exact location the creature once inhabited…not but a split second, but hey…

Peering down, there appeared to be a footprint; Sango smiled, for it seemed like her luck was just beginning to turn around.

The footprint resembled a normal human's footprint, save for the odd talons coming out in the toe area. Her eyes widened; half human…half something…

That 'half-something- must've been part demon-which could mean only one thing. She had just witnessed the rarest breed of demon on the planet….a hanyou.

With relinquished energy, Sango pounded on to the direction the lipstick-colored blur. It seemed every twenty yards a new fresh footprint was stamped into the snow.

With trembling hands, due to her excitement, she felt as if she were flying. How proud her family would be! Groping around for her hiraikotsu, she smirked when her fingers skimmed the tough edges.

This would be interesting.

"Come out, half-demon! I know where you are hiding!" This was a lie, for she hadn't the slightest clue as to where the half demon was hiding. But due to her training, she knew the best thing was to appear confident.

Sango gasped.

As if on cue, the red lipstick blur materialized, wearing something of a cocky grin. The half-demon bore long sharp talons on his fingers and toenails, as well as a human face, confirming her suspicions.

"What do you want, oh pure human?"

…...

Inuyasha grunted, picking up speed even as the harsh cold whipped against his cheeks. Knowing Kagome, she probably left the cavern already. Stupid girl; she was like a dog getting out of its cage…

And for what? To look for this stupid 'Sango' person that was probably the girl's imaginary friend…

Scowling due to his thoughts, he stopped and sniffed as a drift of what smelt like human and fatigue wafted to his sensitive nose.

'Oh good, I found her already,' came his ill thought. To be honest, he could've gone for another run or two before finding Kagome.

"Come on half-demon! I know where you are hiding!" Kagome's voice rang out. For some reason the tone was lower…but she could've simply captured a cold.

Finally realizing what she said, Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks.

How'd she know he was a half-demon? He sure as heck couldn't remember telling her…In fact, he was almost positive he didn't say a word about it to her…

Suddenly questioning identity, he jumped up as high as he could. The girl below him looked nothing like Kagome; she had dark brown hair, not at all the raven black like Kagome's…

Wait-how'd he know that?

Confused, he did slightly recall Kagome's raven black head of hair. He then let out a sigh of relief, pleased that at least he hadn't lost his mind.

"What do you want, oh pure human?" He called back cockily, remembering the comment. Obviously just another bossy human…since when did all the humans suddenly become bossy?

Landing directly in front of her, he smiled in satisfaction as she let out a surprised squeak. The bossy human quickly replaced this with a determined look, pulling off a few back flips for space. 'Okay, so at least she's not helpless,' Inuyasha thought, giving her a mocking applause.

"Attack half-demon! I am waiting!" The girl taunted, obviously annoyed.

Inuyasha's grin widened, as he eagerly cracked his knuckles. He liked the idea of a fight, since it had been so long…

"Puny weakling, prepare to die!" His warrior chant bellowed out.

Inuyasha charged, preparing to kick, when the girl out leashed what looked to be a giant boomerang, something that one might find watching cartoons.

Swiftly maneuvering his hand, he switched power from his foot to his arms, landing a blow across the girl's cheek. She stumbled back, but otherwise remained her ground.

Inuyasha glowered. "Girl, I'm not here to play games!"

The girl didn't answer; instead she charged directly to him. Inuyasha, expecting an answer instead of an attack, had the wind blown out of his stomach as the girl's odd boomerang connected with his stomach.

Growling, he charged right back. He ended up landing two punches, and the girl one. Not the heroic twenty punches to the gut he'd been thinking of, but it'll have to do.

Then she did something he least expected her to do-she injured one of his ears with a swift punch.

He howled in anguish; for some reason that was the most sensitive part on his body. Inuyasha charged blindly at the attacker, pinning her down to where she couldn't move a muscle.

"I'm going to cook you into a nice yummy stew," he spat. Well, he had to admit he wasn't sinister enough to eat her alive, but she didn't need to know that.

The girl's eyes widened in fear as Inuyasha lifted her off the ground and tied her wrists and feet together with some string in his left pocket. Or 'the lucky pocket' as he called it. She tried to kick him out of self defense, but he caught her foot.

He carried her on his back, letting her head dangle in the most painful way possible. He'd ask her some questions, like how in the world she knew he was a hanyou, and then let her go. Or, if that didn't work out, use violence tactics.

It was an easy journey, since the girl only made whines of protest the whole way there-like he cared.

"I am a demon slayer! Let me go!"

"You know, blabbing on like that isn't helping your case much," he advised.

The girl sputtered. "You don't know who you're dealing with!"

Inuyasha sighed in frustration. At least Kagome didn't battle him.

Nearing the cavern, he let out relieved breath. Kagome snoozed quietly, with no intent upon waking up, which was still much more preferred than her leaving.

The girl on his back had gone oddly quiet-too quiet.

"K-Kagome?" The girl whispered.

Inuyasha furrowed his brow. "Wait a minute, you know Kagome too?"

She knew everything!

A look of recognition wiped across her face. Before he could prepare himself, she let out a deafening yell.

"KAGOME!"

….

I can see that chapter 3 needs some revising, since well, it's right off the press…but I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Things started looking up….sort of….


	5. Cycles

"**SANGO**!" Kagome screamed enthusiastically with a grin stretching so far her face might as well have split in half.

What seemed out of nowhere, the two ran toward each other arms outstretched, as if they knew each other since the dawn of time, hugging each other so firmly he thought they'd explode.

Inuyasha glared at the embracing couple. "How the heck do you two know each other? That girl just tried to kill me!"

This time Kagome backed up a bit. "You did what now?"

The girl, Sango apparently, choose this moment to back away as well and give a lethal glare in his direction.

"Wrong. This is a hanyou, which means half demon and half human. The only things these hanyous do are hurt people and destroy property, but tend to have a day of weakness."

Inuyasha felt sick. How the heck did she know about the day of weakness? Was this worldwide knowledge that he wasn't aware of since his time away from civilization-or just Sango's knowledge?

Composing himself, he decided to instead prove her wrong. That was always the much safer route…

"Do you see me running around burning down villages and homes?" He inquired.

Sango slowly shook her head, as if in disbelief. Then she once again righted herself.

"Just because you aren't harming anybody now doesn't mean you won't turn around and hurt people later. I know this for a fact, there isn't a thing good about a-"

"Wait, Sango," Kagome intervened, "he's right. He hasn't done a single thing to hurt me since I've gotten here. Look!" She pointed to her newly wrapped bandages. "He's a little stubborn headed and annoying, but I can fix that…"

"Hey!" He shouted indignantly.

"What happened Kagome?" Sango asked, concerned, ignoring the grumbling hanyou.

"Well…I was in the airplane…it turned round and round…and before I knew it I was sitting in a cavern. Funny how things happen, huh?"

She simply nodded, accepting the queer answer…for now, anyways.

Sango glanced between Kagome and Inuyasha. There didn't seem to be any brutality going on… Letting out a puff of air, she grudgingly agreed.

"Fine, but I'm watching you with a close eye mister. You do a thing to hurt my best friend, and you're gonna pay. This is your first and only warning." Sango whispered in such a way as intended for his ears and his ears only. Inuyasha growled, annoyed that the new girl, Sango, would boss him around in such a manner.

Why would he hurt her anyway? His ears would fall off before that ever happens…

Before Inuyasha could question her further, the pair had already drifted into the cavern, making themselves right at home, whilst leaving him freezing in the cold.

They made themselves comfortable in his own home for Kami's sake! Leaving _him_ behind! And yet that Sango had the nerve to boss him around!

Inuyasha gave an animalistic growl and sauntered toward the cavern, his belligerence fueling him on. How dare they?

He barged right in as they laughed at a joke that was surely unfunny, even though he didn't hear it.

"How dare you-coming into my home without my permission!"

Kagome and Sango simultaneously rolled their eyes, though mirth was still evident in their faces. "Relax, why don't you? We're not going to tear up your home like a bunch of pack wolves." Sango added her two cents.

Clearly outnumbered, Inuyasha grumbled and slowly sat down beside them.

"I got a question." He proposed.

Two heads turned to stare in question.

"Sango, how did you know about a hanyou's day of weakness? Do you know mine?"

"Yeah, how about that Inuyasha?" Kagome spat. "You didn't say a word to me about you being a hanyou. How come you're lying to me? I didn't do a thing wrong…"

He didn't know which was worse: Kagome's accusation, or Sango drilling holes through his brain with her eyes.

Feeling suddenly nervous, he answered, "Well…uh…you never asked…"

This time both girls glared dangerously at him.

Kagome was the one to answer though. "How was I supposed to know about 'hanyous', when I've never even heard of the term in my life?"

He was stumped on that one. "Umm…err…Well, Sango told you didn't she?"

Kagome nodded grudgingly, however a trace of anger still sparkled in her eyes.

"Pig," she grumbled.

"Witch."

"Cow."

"Oyster."

Kagome raised a brow and gave a questioning glance to Inuyasha, whom simply shrugged. Since the tension inside the cavern had evaporated quite dramatically, Sango thought now would be the time to ask the question that had been bugging her.

"I hate to be rude…but do you have any food?"

Kagome nodded, unquestionably agreeing with this suggestion, her earlier anger disappearing.

He couldn't help but blink at his stupidity. How could he forget? Humans needed more food to stay alive than himself. Of course, he wolfed down food all the time, but that was different…

"Yeah, I'll be right back." Inuyasha answered over his shoulder. His nose led him to his secret stash of food hidden under a rock from his latest fish kill, which was thoroughly soaked in beads of salt. Fortunately for him, his secret stash was close enough to the cold so that it could be somewhat refrigerated.

He carefully licked it, testing it to see if it was still edible, since he hadn't eaten in about a week. Yep…edible…It kind of tasted like chicken…

A smell of lavender also assaulted his nose. It must be that Kagome, since he knew what everyone smelt like. Kagome smelt like lavender, while Sango smelt like dirt, sweat, and gross, three features that suited her perfectly.

"Hey Inuyasha-it's me, Kagome!" She chirped, her head peeking out from the entry way to the darker part of the cavern.

"Yeah, I know. Don't you think I can smell you?"

She looked thoughtful. "You can smell me? What do I smell like?"

Inuyasha blushed slightly, thankful that it was dark. "…well, you smell like fresh lavender…" He immediately regretted having said that, for he sounded like a complete wimp and loser.

"Thank you!" Apparently she didn't care. "And you…smell like…" Kagome took three large steps closer. The smell of lavender was mind blowing, nearly intoxicating him.

"…like…" She tentatively sniffed his neck, in which he could feel her hot breath tingling his skin, "…rainforest and fresh air…"

Inuyasha's face reddened. For some reason unknown to him, she drew nearer, a mischievous grin plastered upon her face. He got an uneasy feeling about this…

Standing on the tips of her toes, for she was too short to do otherwise, she whispered quietly into his sensitive ear.

"…and wet dog!"

"Keh!" He shot back gruffly, unused to having his boundaries invaded. Inuyasha shuffled away, so that his boundaries couldn't be invaded further. Why didn't she fear him? Was she this foolish to trust so easily?

Inuyasha groaned as Kagome let out raspy giggles due to the cold air, and marched passed the entrance toward Sango. He shook his head, unable to comprehend the odd scene he just witnessed…if he was lucky, maybe she went mad instead of him…

Inuyasha meticulously walked back toward the fish, trying to shake himself from his scent-induced stupor. Making a mental note to never go near Kagome again, he picked up the fish and headed back toward the location where Sango and Kagome waited to be served.

"Fish? I love fish!" Sango exclaimed.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm so glad…I caught the fish _especially_ for this occasion." Either everyone was too busy staring at the food to notice the sarcasm, or they simply didn't care enough to comment.

He slipped the fish onto the skewer, turning it every now and then. The group gathered around in a small semicircle. Inuyasha paused and looked around him for a moment…at all the people suddenly joined together in his lonely cavern. How odd, to see these people not fleeing in terror…

"So Kagome, how's your injury doing? Is it healing?" Sango questioned. Inuyasha tuned into their conversation, wanting to know the answer to this question as well, unbeknownst to the pair.

"Umm…"She started hesitantly. "It's healing I guess. It hasn't really bothered me…"

"Oh, good!" Sango chirped, while she and Inuyasha nodded their heads in unison, pleased with the answer.

Just thirty minutes later, a tender fish was bestowed upon their plates, eyes feasting on the prize: good, scrumptious, plain food. True to his mental note, he sat as far away from Kagome as possible without appearing too suspicious. Luckily, she didn't notice.

Thirty minutes of intense eating later, the group finally broke apart from their meal, making small attempts at conversation…and failing. What was there to say? 'Hey, nice weather we're having'?

The silence became so deafening; nobody had the courage to break from its awful wrath. Instead they turned their eyes to the fire embracing the wood, staring listlessly at it as if to wish it would do a back flip or two, each enraptured in their thoughts.

Sango thought about her family waiting back home. She thought of how wonderful it would be, to tell of the rarest breed alive: a hanyou. It was strange, though, that he didn't seem to want to harm anyone…Her thoughts quickly turned into sadness. 'If I ever do make it back…'

Kagome thought somewhere along the same lines as Sango. 'Funny…I was just looking for a chance to finally be a teenager, away from home…and now I'm stuck in a cavern till I can find some way out…' Well, she wasn't _totally_ trapped. After all, she did have Inuyasha.

Inuyasha, who was arrogant, blunt, rude, annoying, a pig, irritating…but someone who she felt she could trust, even though he strapped her down with a blanket.

Inuyasha himself wasn't on the same lines of thought as anyone occupying the room. His thoughts involved questions such as how much time was left before Naraku decided to destroy and conquer his tiny living space that he called home. Or how much time was left till he ended up passing Kagome onto Naraku's mutated clutches, adding on to his baggage of guilt.

As if breaking away from a terrible curse, Sango let out a scream, alarming Kagome and Inuyasha out of their train of deep thought.

"How could I forget? I knew something was missing! I knew it! I knew it! I _knew_ it!" Sango berated herself, jumping up from her sitting position and pacing back and forth like a caged animal.

Inuyasha and Kagome sent her alarmed and bewildered glances.

"What is it?" Inuyasha probed finally.

Sango bit her nails worriedly.

"Guys…I'm afraid there may be one more person we forgot about…"

They raised a brow, clearly wanting more information before the stormed out into the harsh cold tundra. Sango wrung her hands, obviously more nervous.

"Don't worry about it; I'll introduce him when we see him." She explained, hoping this information would suffice.

"_Him_- it's a he?" Kagome puzzled.

Sango blushed slightly.

"Uh-err-well, it's complicated…C'mon, there's no time to lose!" Sango responded with resolved determination.

Before they could question further, Sango had already charged a good thirty yards into the snow, shuffling past the mounds of snow and hail. Kagome frowned as the harsh air whipped against her skull, or more specifically, her not-entirely-healed-yet wound.

Inuyasha groaned, equally displeased.

"And the cycle continues…" He said curtly, flinging himself passed the snow in the effort to catch up. Kagome quietly joined him.

….

Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed!

I also hope I'm not going to fast…but this chapter was sort of important to the plot. Don't worry, the rest of the chapters will be in specific point of views, but in this chapter they were all sort of bound together. Or do you guys like seeing all of the characters point of views at once?

Please review and let me know what I should do!


	6. A New Appearance

"We're going around in a circle!" Inuyasha complained to the cold wind.

"Don't you think this isn't easy on anyone?" Kagome snapped, poking him in the chest. She frowned, basking in her rather negative thoughts; 'I mean I understand that he doesn't want to travel more, and neither do I, but still-so inconsiderate! '

Inuyasha didn't say a thing in return. Kagome glanced at Sango, whom also didn't have anything to say. She sighed despairingly…so much for that…

"Sango, who exactly are we going to meet? We traveled way out here, so you owe us an explanation!" Kagome demanded, fatigue seeping into her non- muscled arms.

She faltered in her step. Finally, seeing no way out, she replied, "Well…Kagome, do you remember that guy from the airplane…who kind of embarrassed me…"

Kagome raised a brow; any other time, she would've squealed at the adorable picture of Sango coming to that weird dude's rescue and them confessing their undying love for one another. But any other time she wouldn't be stuck in ice cold tundra. Or shuffling through five feet's worth of snow…

Of course, she didn't have the slightest clue about what the guy was like, or even his name for that matter, but still…She had always loved romance stories, even when she was a little girl.

Kagome wisely choose to keep her mouth shut and not comment upon Sango's statement, knowing full well that this was unplanned and difficult for everyone since they were just about to go to bed. Inuyasha, however, was not so wise.

"Are you trying to tell me we've been traveling all this way for some guy that you met on an airplane and barel-"

Kagome elbowed him in his ribs, causing a wince of pain from the victim. 'Ha, shows him,' she thought smugly.

Surprisingly, he elbowed her right back.

She growled in aggravation.

"Real mature Inuyasha!"

He stuck his tongue out. Kagome scoffed, sticking her tongue right back at him.

"You just stuck your tongue back at me! I win!" Inuyasha chanted, pumping his fist in the air like a true warrior, and doing a little victory dance like a true idiot.

"Here we go again…" Sango muttered wearily to herself.

"I heard that!" They shouted in unison, glaring at each other as soon as they realized this.

"I hate you," Inuyasha whispered to Kagome, as soon as they were out of Sango's range of hearing.

"I hate you more," Kagome muttered fiercely back. What was with him? He was acting like a two year old who was told he couldn't have candy.

"Drop dead," Kagome said pointedly.

"Ladies first," Inuyasha replied curtly.

"Umm…guys…" Sango started, backing away slowly, deliberately.

"What!" They snapped irritably in unison…again…

Kagome and Inuyasha's mouths' both turned into a surprised 'o' shape at the sight bestowed on them. A man, looking to be around the age of 19 or 20 with a long staff-like stick and a draping purple and shadow black cape was slumped down in a sagging tree, numerous bruises and black spots adorning his expressionless face.

"Miroku- oh gosh, I should've listened…" Sango whispered solemnly.

The only one not completely startled or disturbed by this image was a lone figure watching the group with a masked expression-well, actually, he looked a little disturbed but it didn't seem to be coming from the image. Seeing the man staring emotionlessly at the poor beat up guy was starting to creep her out, so she looked quickly away.

As if turning on a light in a dusty attic, a sudden idea struck Sango.

"I think I know how to wake him up…"

Inuyasha and Kagome waited patiently for this awakening, neither saying a word at the odd image. Sango raised a bizarre-looking boomerang over her head, before crashing it down on 'Miroku', apparently. Kagome flinched; how come she never noticed that before?

Inuyasha remained silent…too silent…she suddenly wished she could jump in his mind and read what he was thinking…

A sputtering gasp dragged her out of her thoughts, for hitting the poor guy on the noggin seemed to work.

"Sango-oh good! You came back! For a while I thought you were eaten…or worse, starving…" he choked, rubbing his abused head.

Kagome watched with intense interest.

"W-what are y-you doing here?"

A split second of bewilderment and confusion passed over his face before remembrance sunk in.

"Well…I saw this beautiful woman, with long white hair…I asked her if she knew where to find some help, since I was worried about you, of course." he paused dramatically. "Then I realized… it was not a beautiful woman, but a full grown man…"

Kagome and Sango sweat-dropped at his story. 'Oh joy…he's gender confused…' Kagome thought dryly, diverging from her previous thoughts of romance.

The man in question looked to be in a serious debate with…wait, was that Inuyasha? She quickly glanced to the side-no Inuyasha in sight.

Wondering curiously as to what kind of ties were related to the womanly man that Inuyasha had to do with, Kagome fumbled through the snow toward the couple with equal traces of disgust and ridicule marring their features, for they seemed upset about something.

As Kagome neared hearing range, she caught small bits and pieces of their serious debate, but couldn't make out words because of strong winds slapping her face.

She frowned and wrapped her arms around herself, willing the coldness that was steadily creeping up her body to disappear.

Eventually she caught up with the pair.

"What are you doing here Sesshomaru! Answer me!" Inuyasha demanded.

'They know each other? Who is this?' Kagome pondered quietly to herself, choosing to listen more before asking for any clues as to who he was.

"That is to none of your concern. I, Lord Sesshomaru, do not have to answer to anyone." The man, Sesshomaru apparently, dictated.

Kagome noticed odd purple marks splashing along the side of his cheeks like that of a cat's. She could readily understand why Miroku made the mistake that he was a man; he looked almost more feminine than her…almost. If it weren't for his masculine voice and powerful-looking arms, she'd have to say that she-…err-he, was more feminine than her…odd…

Inuyasha on the other hand looked completely shocked. Kagome waved a hand comically in front of his face. He remained unseeing and merely gaped.

"You-you're a-a-a lord?" Inuyasha stumbled, a truly confused look marring his features.

This 'Sesshomaru' sniffed indignantly. "Yes, it is true; I have a tendency to make something of myself. Unlike you, being a coward and wondering endlessly from place to place for acceptance."

Inuyasha opened his mouth, prepared to protest. This idea was quickly cut off for the apparent lord continued.

"Now you've found yourself people pathetic enough to accept such an awful atrocious beast like you. I am utterly appalled," he criticized in a monotone.

"You talk real big, but can you fight, hmm, brother?" Inuyasha mocked scornfully, completely unfazed by the lord's cruel remark.

Kagome, however, was a different story. Small tears squirmed their way down her cheeks. How could they say such horrid things? Worst of all, they were brothers…brothers!

"And stain my sword with your tainted blood? That is unlikely."

Due to his words, Kagome glanced at Sesshomaru's side. True to his word, a sword dangled at his waist, throbbing powerfully. What a sick man!

By now the small tears had escalated into giant blobs, reddening her face with their marks.

"How could you! Treating Inuyasha like that! There's nothing wrong about him; and he is not a coward! Just who do you think you are? Just because you're a king doesn't give you the right to step all over other people-your own brother for God's sake!" Kagome wailed.

Inuyasha had fully snapped out of his quarrel and noticed Kagome for what seemed like the first time since she made her appearance.

"What do you think you're doing? Digging an early grave girl?" He shouted at her. How could she stick up for filth like him? She just didn't make sense sometimes…

Inuyasha winced as she cried harder; nothing was worse than making a girl cry…

Sesshomaru remained composed during the entire episode.

"I have other plans…to slay you with my own two hands, but only when the timing is perfect. Do not die in the wilderness, little brother." With his words left hanging in the frigid air, he walked gracefully off, as if he were walking on a sidewalk instead of five feet's high worth of snow.

Kagome's mouth hung open in disbelief. 'Why, that no good selfish son of a-'

"Pompous jerk!" he read her thoughts exactly.

"I agree! How could he just walk up like he owns the snow and say those things?"

Inuyasha grimaced. "Kagome, he can do those things because he's a twit who's too busy painting his toenails to care what other people think-me especially."

Kagome couldn't help herself as a smile emerged from under her sadness. Whether from the fact that he used her name, even without a rude comment attached to it, or his comment about Sesshomaru's being girly, she wasn't sure.

Funny how awful events could bring people together.

Sango and Miroku seemed to be in a separate world, not noticing the pair shuffling directly toward them. Kagome sensed that due to steam popping out of her best friend's ear, it had nothing to do with romance; in fact, Miroku was once again unconscious.

Sweat-dropping for the second time that day, Kagome swiftly heaved the unconscious man, throwing him recklessly into Inuyasha's arms. True, he was a bit strange, but she wasn't about to leave the person responsible for all the commotion she endured to lie in the snow.

"What do you think you're doing? Do I look like some sort of tow truck?" He complained.

'So much for him being nice for a change,' Kagome thought, irritated that he just _had_ to open his trap.

"Maybe you do!"

"Maybe you look like a stinking pig!"

"Maybe you look like an imbecile!"

"Maybe you look like a stinking imbecile!"

"So what if I do?"

A glaring match ensued. Perhaps if Inuyasha weren't so wrapped up in despising the girl that questioned him, he would've noticed that Miroku was gone. Luckily Kagome noticed.

"Hey Inuyasha, where's Miroku?" Kagome asked finally, swallowing her pride.

"Jeez, I knew you were stupid but I didn't think you were blind too." As if to prove himself correct, he peered down…no Miroku in sight…"Great! Look what you did!"

"Me?" She pointed an indignant finger toward herself. So much for swallowing up pride…

"Yes you!"

"Don't you have-"

"Don't worry about it." A new voice interrupted. Two head's turned toward the owner of the voice-Sango. She was carrying Miroku, letting his head dangle most painfully, and reminding Inuyasha eerily of something he enacted on Sango not terribly long ago.

Kagome and Inuyasha didn't bother to ask, instead choosing to reproach their earlier glaring, as the crew made their way back towards the homely cavern.

That was fun to write! Sorry it to so long to update…life sort of got in the way…But hey, I managed to include a little more of Kagome's perspective. In fact, a lot more chapters are going to be with her, since she's my favorite character-or at least the one I can relate with the most. Also, things will start looking up, I just had to include Sesshomaru for the plot (don't worry, I love Sesshomaru too, along with his feminine side…I just couldn't help but point it out…)


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